Millions of people around the world use motorcycles not just for transportation, but for recreational activities such as touring and vacationing, off-road exploration, and racing. Motorcycle racing is a multi-billion dollar industry just in North America. Amateur and professional racers compete in thousands of races every year all over Canada, Mexico, and the United States. For example, the American Motorcycle Association® (AMA) organizes racing competitions in six different categories: superbike, flat track, supermoto, motocross, supercross, and hillclimb. Motorcycle riding competitions also feature prominently in extreme sports competitions, such as the X Games® or the Dew Sports Action Tour™ competitions. Additionally, motorcycles and motocross have inspired or melded with other types of vehicles to create new forms of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) recreation, including quad racing, competitive snowmobile racing, and bicycle motocross (BMX).
Protective gear is a critical component for amateur and professional motorcycle enthusiasts, and manufacturers often tailor such equipment for specific uses. Off-road motorcycle riding and racing present unique challenges for protective riding gear. Not only must the equipment protect riders in the case of a fall, it must function in the face of unique hazards not seen in road riding or track racing. In all types of off-road motorcycle riding and racing, riders often face treacherous riding conditions while traveling over dirt, sand, mud, and snow. Off-road riders often must negotiate around trees and stumps, boulders, brush, and other terrain features. Not only must a rider's protective gear protect him from such risks of injury, that equipment should be able to structurally withstand being struck by such objects without failing. In wet or snowy conditions, riders often become covered in mud, which can interfere with attachment mechanisms on protective equipment.
The legs of an off-road rider in particular face a variety of hazards presented by flying objects (e.g., rocks, clumps of mud, sand, and branches), kicked-up by the rider's own vehicle and by other riders, as well as terrain features. Even on relatively smooth dirt tracks, the risk of lower leg or foot injury for flying objects may be substantial. Additionally, motorcycle riders expect their boots to protect them from hazards presented by the bikes they ride or those of other riders. In the case of a fall or a collision, a rider's leg may become pinned under the motorcycle, and even while riding, heat from engine and exhaust components presents a burn risk to an unprotected rider.
In view of the forgoing, there is an ever-present need for improved protective footwear for motorcycle and other off-road motorsports that protects a rider's lower legs and feet against reasonably anticipated risks and hazards that the rider might face. Additionally, there is an ever-present need to simplify the construction of such protective footwear and to reduce production costs.
Prior art motorcycle and motocross boots employ multi-part attachment systems for securing the boots to the rider's feet and legs. FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a typical prior art attachment system 700 where a buckle 702 and buckle strap 704 form one part of the system and an overstrap 706 and securing plate 708 form another part of the system that receives the buckle strap 704. The securing plate 708 functions to receive and engage the buckle strap 704, holding it in place. Typically the securing plate and strap have a set of complementary engageable structures such as teeth 728. The securing plate is itself coupled to a flap on an item of footwear via overstrap 706.
The securing plate 708 is snapped into an aperture 720 defined within the first end 722 of the overstrap 706 and is held in place by an interference fit between the two parts. The edge 725 of the aperture becomes a seam between the securing plate 708 and overstrap 706. The first end 714 of the buckle strap 704 is passed through a slot 730 in the securing plate 708, while second end 716 of the buckle strap 704 is coupled to the buckle 702. The attachment system 700 is fully engaged when the buckle 702 is engaged with an anchor point (not shown) on the boot (not shown). Buckle 702 includes an elongated member 750, having a first end 752 and a second end 754, and buckle lever arm 760, having a first end 762, a second end 764. The first end 762 of the buckle lever 760 comprises an anchor-receiving depression or seat 768, and the second end 764 of the buckle lever arm 760 comprises a flange 769. The buckle lever arm 760 rotates around a transverse buckle pivot 780 operably coupled to the elongated member 750, and the buckle 702 engages the anchor (not shown) in a manner similar to that described below.
While this system adequately secures the boot to a wearer's leg, some problems do exist with this traditional attachment system. For example, the mechanical bond created between the securing plate and the overstrap can fail if the tensile load on the system exceeds the strength of the unified securing plate/overstrap structure. The system can accumulate dirt and debris in the gaps and spaces around the individual parts, including in the interface between the securing plate and the overstrap and around the portion of the buckle strap extending through the securing plate and underneath the overstrap. This traditional multi-part system can be prone to wear or failure if one of the multiple parts is damaged or worn down. Additionally, the overall system is rather bulky and can create a pressure point in the boot that causes the wearer to experience some discomfort. Still further, it requires multiple production steps to produce and assemble the various parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,370 discloses an example of a traditional attachment system for motorcycling and motocross boots as well as other sports shoes. One stated aim of the patent is to provide a “lever which is structurally simple, has low costs, and remains in the closed position even if the lever arm or the toothed band are subjected to impacts against blunt objects.” This patent describes a band (15) associated with an adapted engagement element (16) mounted on a second flap (3). The engagement element and second flap together constitute a buckle strap receiver. The patent states that the “engagement element is internally hollow so as to allow to insert therein the free end of the band,” and the band and the engagement element have complementarily shaped teeth for locking the band into place. Most significantly, base elements (16) is attached to flap (3) by stitching only. Therefore, this buckle strap receiver is a non-unitary, two-part system, which suffers from some or all of the aforementioned problems.
In view of the forgoing, there is a need for improved attachment systems that are stronger, more reliable, and simpler and less expensive to produce and assemble.